Vadodara: Daryl Mitchell was New Zealand’s star batter, as his 71-ball 84 helped the side reach a decent 300/8 in 50 overs and overcome the Indian bowlers’ late carnage in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Kotambi International Stadium (BCA).
After being put in to bat, New Zealand started quietly and sluggishly, with openers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls proceeding cautiously. However, once they picked up pace, the Indian bowlers’ struggles began as they failed to get the first breakthrough.
Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Washington, and Kuldeep Yadav all faced the heat as the openers reached their half-centuries off consecutive deliveries in the 20th over. The two went on to share an unbeaten 100-run stand, the first 100-plus opening stand for New Zealand away from home since 2019, as the Kiwis scored 104 runs in 20 overs without losing a wicket.
Building on momentum, Nicholls (62) smashed Rana for two consecutive boundaries in the 22nd over, but the fast bowler had the last laugh as brilliant glovework by KL Rahul brought an end to the New Zealander’s innings. Rana also dismissed Conway (56) when he returned to bowl the 24th over, leaving the two set openers back in the hut.
The visitors failed to get going thereafter as the Men in Blue kept striking at regular intervals, leaving no scope for run-scoring. Siraj got his first wicket of the day in the 28th over when he dismissed Will Young (12), as New Zealand reached 153/3 in 30 overs, managing only 49 runs in 10 overs. While the opening pair added 117 runs, India fought back with three wickets to halt their momentum.
Kuldeep soon joined the pacers in the celebrations as he picked up Glenn Phillips (12), adding to the BlackCaps’ woes. Mitchell Hay gave his side some respite with quick runs on the scoreboard, but Prasidh Krishna cut his innings short as the former was bowled out for a 13-ball 18.
While wickets kept falling at one end, Daryl Mitchell kept his good form going and raced to a slow half-century, anchoring the team’s innings against the dominant-looking Indian bowling unit. But back-to-back wickets of Michael Bracewell (run out for 16 by Shreyas Iyer) and Zakary Foulkes (1) showcased some clutch bowling by the hosts as the Kiwis struggled to add runs in the death overs.
While Daryl aimed to finish strongly, Krishna ended his innings by dismissing him in the 48th over, helping India maintain their dominance as the World No. 3 ODI batter walked back scoring a well-made 84.
A poor final over from Krishna saw Kyle Jamieson and debutant Kristian Clarke score 12 runs off it, as New Zealand reached the 300-run mark, finishing at 300/8.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 300/8 in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 84, Henry Nicholls 62, Devon Conway 56; Mohammed Siraj 2-40, Harshit Rana 2-65) against India.
(IANS)
